The West Front

The front of the house, as it is now, appears more or less as Cowdray's architect, Aston Webb, intended except for the single storey wing on the north side. It is mock Tudor or late English Renaissance, exhibiting the characteristic gables, bay windows on the south front, and tall, ornate brick chimneys. The Great Hall or Music Room on the right has Whitehead's monogram "R.W. 1883" on the wall. The muse of "Music" is seated at the corner of the parapet.

In the centre is the porch, reminiscent of the Gothic/Scottish baronial style of the Victoria&Albert Music which was also Aston Webb's work. It has motifs from the Cowdray coat of arms. High up on the second storey are, on the right, what is thought to be Whitehead's crest with the motto "In Spe Vivo" and, on the left, the Cowdray coat of arms. This has, for supporters, a Mexican peasant in poncho and a deep-sea diver, recalling his engineering achievements in Mexico and Dover Harbour.

There is a tunnel entry into the backyard on the left at the end of the building but that was not the entry into the old stable block. That was bricked up and is no longer visible (except at the back door on the other side of the building which carries the date 1865). The great cedar tree on the left hand side was moved there on Cowdray's instructions to break the line of the buildings and hide a tall boiler chimney; an indication of the trouble which he took over the site.

The Porch and Front Hall

The porch has heavy oak doors with Tudor style linen fold panels and various motifs. There is a vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows signed by Webb with a spider's web. The Front Hall (or vestibule) has a moulded plaster ceiling. The stained glass in this room links the Pearson coat of arms with those of various families connected by marriage with the Cowdray family, namely Churchill, Knatchbull-Hugesson and Denman, and includes a memorial to Geoffrey who was killed in the First World War. These links are reproduced again on the coloured ceiling in the large room on the left of the porch. This was a banqueting room. The bare stone walls would have been covered with tapestries from ceiling to floor. The large Gothic fireplace carries the Pearson arms.

The Inner Hall

Take a look round the corridor leading from the front hall and you will find the domestics' staircase, solid blocks of granite for steps. Then passing back through the front hall, there comes the second or inner hall. The lower walls have paneling in this part of the house, the part for family and guests. The upper walls used to be covered in red damask. All the ceilings are moulded plaster. The glass in the windows recalls Lord Cowdray's official positions.

The Great Hall or Music Room

The corridor starting in the right hand corner leads to the Great Hall or Music Room (now the Assembly Room). The windows here depict variety in music . The windows in the Great Hall itself show a brief history of English music. The room was intended for country house entertainment, music, singing, charades and games, and used to be suitably furnished. There is a minstrels' gallery, and the alcove in the far corner used to hold a three manual pipe organ. The massive fireplace is composed of Italian woodwork and red Siennese marble. The inglenook served as a warm corner in a room that was difficult to heat.

The Drawing Rooms

Passing back through the double doors and through the set of double doors opposite, there is the large drawing room. A small drawing room lies beyond through a third set of double doors. The Great Hall and two drawing rooms are the state rooms. At large receptions, the interconnecting doors would be open, creating space for circulation (they are still used in this way for parents' receptions and Sixth Form dances). The larger drawing room has a fine ceiling and woodwork. The smaller drawing room is paneled except for the space for a frieze. It is a cosy room which the family probably used when they were alone.

The Principal Staircase

Coming out of the small drawing room, the main staircase lies ahead. This is believed to be carved in Austrian Pollard oak. The foliage design of the panels is very elaborate and suggests Rococo models. Upstairs there re dormitories and study rooms which show rather fewer traces of the past now. The room on the right marked "Headmaster" used to be the library.

The Dining Room

The rest of the house lying to the east is entirely the work of Aston Webb who remodelled other parts. Immediately ahead, there is the dining room or breakfast room (now the teachers' dining room). The doors are very striking and beautifully made of mahogany with finely wrought handles. The paneling is also mahogany and used to be the same dark shade as the doors. The sideboards were the same, of which some pieces survive. A minstrel's gallery is visible but has been blocked off. The plaster frieze, depicting the history of transport, is the work of Walter Crane (1845-1915), a fairly well-known illustrator and artist. Pevsner considered this the most noteworthy object in the house. The cyclists are supposed to be Lord and Lady Cowdray. The doors at the far end used to lead into the Winter Garden and skittle alley (now a library).

The East Wing and South Front

Going out on to the terrace by the door beside the Headmaster's study, Aston Webb's wing of 1895 can be seen. It is reckoned to be the finest piece of work he did on the site. Beyond it lies the former Winter Garden, now with a tiled roof instead of glass one. The terraces were created by Cowdray. The magnificent view to the South Downs simply confirms the Victorians' choice of site.